"One hand reaches out, and pulls a lost soul
from harm. While a thousand more go
unspoken for, they say what good have you
done by saving just this one? It's like
whispering a prayer in the fury of a storm…"
-"The Change" by Garth Brooks

***
Chapter 11:
Wild Cards
By Darster and Satori Shiro

A sad brown hawk flew around the clearing for sometime wondering what she should do now. Auburn had just disappeared from that spot, going after her beloved, and told her to stay and help, but how? These enemies were different from those she and her chosen had fought before. After some thought, she flew over White Blaze's head and headed straight toward the battles at hand. Bird noticed that the four warriors were holding their own against the armored demon that looks like a snake. She could feel and smell the venom that was seeping from him.
: The Warlord of Venom: the cat pointed out to her. : His strike is very poisonous. Beware.:
She laughed at the tiger. : I eat snakes for breakfast.:
Instead of engaging in the battle below her, she followed the large cat toward the house, toward the girl whose power seemed to be the cause of this war.

Y r S w T

"Flare Up Now!"
Ryo's flaming blast raced toward Sekhmet, but the Warlord ducked, enveloped in a blast of hot steam as Ryo's attack and Sai's 'Super Wave Smasher' collided, shy of his head by mere inches. He danced around like a child, as though to taunt them. Little do those fools realize what I'm doing, he thought viciously as he slowly drew them away from the house.
Something's not right, Ryo thought. He's not fighting back as he should be. Suddenly, Rowen's voice echoed loudly in his head, fearfully.
: Hey guys, I could use some help here!:
Ryo's response was a jumble of fight scenes with Sekhmet, along with a distracted comment. : We're a little busy right now.:
Rowen flashed him a picture of the shadowy menace that threatened him, Rei and Mia. : Busier than that!?!:
Ryo inhaled sharply as he saw the powerful dark knight advance on Rei and Rowen.
: Where's Auburn, she should be right there beside you!:
To tell the truth, he hadn't seen the redhead since she and Sai appeared at Mia's house. She seemed to march to the beat of a different drum, and Ryo still wasn't sure of her motives. Nevertheless, she'd always shown up at just the right time, and Ryo hoped this was no different.
: Well she's not here!:
That was the last thing Ryo heard from Rowen as the connection closed down between them. Right then another connection opened.
: She went into the Nether Realm.:
Ryo stopped in the middle of the battle, and looked stupidly at the tiger that had appeared beside him. :She WHAT?:
: She went into the Nether Realm.: White Blaze repeated calmly.
A shrill caw echoed above them as Bird swooped high above them toward the house. That made Ryo wonder. She's gone, but the hawk is still here? Why?
:How?! I don't think even she's powerful enough to build a Dynasty Gate!:
:No, she's not. She had Anubis' help.:
:WHAT?!:
:You are becoming repetitive, Wildfire.: The tiger pointed out.
Ryo let loose a yelp of surprise as he became entangled in a sticky mass of webbing. The Warlord of Illusion stepped out of the forest in front of him.
"You're getting soft, Wildfire," Dais said. "I never should have gotten this close."
Ryo struggled in the grasp of the Web of Deception, and Dais laughed with amusement. White Blaze followed Ryo's unspoken thought, and ran toward the front of the house to help protect the chosen one.

Y r S w T

Worn down and exhausted, Cody slumped against the back wall of the cell. He'd tried every trick he'd ever learned to manipulate solid objects with his 'gift', but nothing worked. All the further he'd gotten was a worse headache, and more bruises. It almost seemed as though the door itself thwarted him, but he knew it was something in this 'freaky place' as Keiko put it.
"Sorry kid," he apologized, leaning on the wall to keep from falling over. "We aren't getting out of here anytime soon."
"I could've told you that after the first ten tries," she said glumly. "You didn't have to prove me right over and over again."
Cody yawned in response, and Keiko looked at him strangely.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah," he replied, uncharacteristic machismo temporarily getting the better of him. "I am just tired…"
His eyes turned glassy and lost focus, and she began to worry. To him, it felt as though his eyelids weighed him down, and he had no choice but to close them. He heard Keiko yelling at him from far away, but he didn't answer. I'm tired, he remembered thinking. I give up. I don't care anymore. He fell asleep and sank back into his blessed peaceful darkness.
Keiko tried to shake him awake. Something deep inside told her something was wrong, and she feared for him. He was the closest thing she had to a friend in this place, and she didn't want to spend anymore time alone in here than she had to. Startled, she jumped back as a swirl of darkness enveloped his sleeping form and then he disappeared entirely.
Something inside her snapped right then, calling her to action with an animal like in fear. She ran for the door, and grabbed it, pulling it with all her might. Hoping upon hope that the door will open at her touch. But the same force that thwarted Cody knocked her clear across the room, and she fell to the floor, unconscious.

ShadowRaven laughed as the boy's prone form appeared in one of the castle's empty rooms. All that worry had been for nothing. His plans remained intact, and in truth, turned out better than even he had thought. All he needed was the right tool.
He brushed a shadowy hand against the boy's forehead, implanting a series of hypnotic suggestions in his now unprotected subconscious. When he awoke, he would be under ShadowRaven's complete control, and he would neutralize the Ronin of Nature better than anything Raven could dream up. And if not, there was always plan B.
He chuckled, then left the boy to his dark rest. There was still much to be done, and he'd left Kayura waiting long enough.

Y r S w T

Rei screamed at the top of her lungs at the approaching shadow. As its shape formed, it looked like a man in dark armor but at the same time, it looked like a living shadow. Rei backed herself away from the shadow and right into a corner of the kitchen.
Rowen tried to call in for some reinforcement but apparently they were busy with other things. I guess it's up to me then, he thought as he watched the shadow warrior make its move toward Rei.
"Let me guess, you are after me, right?" she said as calmly as she could although her heart was racing faster then a locomotive.
As if to respond to the question, the warrior jumped into the air in front of her. Rei yelped in surprise as she watched the suit of armor coming down toward her. Before the warrior could reach her, a black and white blur came flying in to tackle the intruder. The warrior and White Blaze came crashing down to the ground in a heap of fur and metal. In a fit, the warrior threw the tiger off him and proceeded to do as he was programmed.
"Back off ugly!" Rowen snapped and fired his golden arrow.
To everyone's amazement, the arrow went through the warrior as though it went through water. "What the…?"
The shadow warrior continued on with its objective as though Rowen never attacked it. It looked around for awhile trying to figure out what had happened to its target once it got back on it feet.
Rei was able to scramble to the door during the distraction with the medallion still clutched in her hand. She turned to find that the dark warrior had gotten rid of the tiger and was right on her heels.
"Back off buster!" she yelled at her tormentor.
"Rei, it seems as though my normal arrows don't work," Rowen said as he strung another arrow.
"No shit, Sherlock!"
"So I guess I'll have to try a different one then."
He slowly moved toward Rei, trying to keep himself between her and the living shadow. From above, a high pitch screeching sound came soaring in from the open window and started to attack the walking demon. The hawk flew in and out of the warrior's reach as though she was playing tag with it.
Seeing the distraction, Rowen readied his sure-kill. Bird was finally swatted away, landing by the refrigerator. She croaked indignantly and took flight, this time out the kitchen window. The unrelenting intruder continued on his mission.
"I don't think so," Rowen stated as he powered up his arrow. The tip started to glow brightly with power.
"Arrow Shock Wave!"
The arrow flew toward the warrior in a blaze of glory, lighting the way like a comet in space. The dark warrior did not move, as though the power that was coming for him was nothing at all. He disappeared into thin air as the power enveloped him and continued on its destructive course annihilating the kitchen and its walls and anything that was behind it.
"My house!" Mia screamed, trying to think of anything but the enemy that attacked them.
"We'll fix it later! Run!" Rowen cried as the warrior reoriented again. All three of them high-tailed it outside with the mysterious demon hot on their heels.

Y r S w T

Auburn whirled on Cale in surprise, but the Warlord was prepared this time. Her balled fist came flying toward his jaw, and he grabbed it, twisting it behind her back. She yelped in pain, and he twisted it harder, bringing his clawed hand against her exposed throat. He had her trapped in a dangerous embrace, and he pressed the claw deeper into her neck as she struggled. He nicked her cheek in warning, drawing blood, and she quieted.
Cale laughed aloud. "You're losing your touch, little girl."
Water condensed on his metal armor, and he found himself hugging a misty fog instead of a human form. It thickened around him, turning his dark shadows even darker. His eyes darted about for his prey, but the thick cloud around him obscured his vision.
"I'm getting really sick of you calling me that." The fog itself distorted her voice, and it seemed to come from all around him.
"And I'm sick of you meddling in things that don't concern you."
Damn her, he thought, and her control of the elements. Talpa never should have recruited that fool Anubis!
"Skip it," she said icily. "The whole villainous monologue. You know why I'm here and what I want."
Ah, Cale thought, her weak link. "I'm rather enjoying the company. I think I will keep your friend around a while longer."
"This isn't his battle, Cale. It's not yours, either, for that matter."
"Nor is it yours," he retorted, searching his element for the irritating girl that defied him.
"Your master MADE it my business."
He felt her probing his mind again, looking for the weak spot in his memory. He tried to block her out, but an odd part of his mind welcomed the search. He wished to know where these strange images had come from and put them to rights, yet part of him feared ShadowRaven's wrath if he ever found them.
Auburn's soft request broke into his thoughts, echoing within them, and without. "Tell me where he is."
She sprung the psychic tripwire again, and pain ravaged Cale's mind as the two forces warred within his head. He thought he would lose himself in madness until the master's strong voice commanded him to action. Without further protest, he shadowslipped into the mortal realm, to the battle with the Ronin Warriors.

Damn, Auburn thought as she recovered from the psychic onslaught, those blocks are strong! She dissipated the misty fog that she'd used to confuse the Warlord and leaned against the building where Cale had jumped her, calming the fierce beating of her heart. She trembled visibly, realizing it was less from psychic shock, and more from her own personal fear. I'm scared, she admitted to herself. Scratch that, she corrected herself, I'm terrified. I'm terrified of losing Cody, of losing this battle, of losing everything. She closed her eyes, and let the wave of terror overwhelm her for a few minutes. The wave crashed over her whole body and doused her with a cold dread all the way down to her soul, but she stopped it there. She took the negative energy, and channeled it into action, into positive thought. They won't win, she told herself repeatedly., taking a piece of the fear away each time she said it, I won't let them. I'll take away ShadowRaven's pawns, then I'll help the guys put him in checkmate, and send him squawking back to Hell where he belongs.
She opened her eyes, a new determination shining in them. She started walking through the odd city again, but only took a few steps before another premonition hit her. She stopped walking, and felt someone watching her.
The block on her and Cody's psychic lifebond suddenly dropped, and his presence registered almost right on top of her. A tall, lean shadow jumped out of the darkness, and tackled her to the ground before she could utter a sound. She looked up into a pair of smoldering coals that used to shine a soft brown. She tried to shove Cody away, but he straddled her waist and pinned her wrists to the ground with inhuman force.
"Hello, my Sweet Auburn," his voice echoed coldly through the now empty town, twisting the nickname he'd given her into an insult. "Did you miss me?"
"Let go of me, you idiot! What is wrong with you?!" she cried, trying to muster the strength to break his demonic grip.
"Me?" He asked in that calm, icy tone. "Absolutely nothing. I'm perfectly fine. In fact, I've never felt better. You, however, are looking a bit pale. Perhaps I'm playing a bit too rough."
Cody hauled her up roughly by her wrists and held her immobile a moment. An involuntary defense mechanism tripped automatically, and Auburn kneed him roughly in his groin. He let go his death grip on her wrists, and doubled over in pain. In a flash of anger, she upper cut his jaw with a free hand and jumped out of his reach, wondering what ShadowRaven had done to make him act like this.
"You bitch!" He screamed, fire leaping from his eyes to engulf the building behind her in flame.
Auburn dove out of the way of the flames, trying furiously to call the Armor of Nature to her, but her link to Cody blocked it, disallowing her to use it on someone so close to her. Beautiful, she thought. Pyrokinetic on top of telekinetic, and now he's programmed to kill me. And I can't do a damn thing about it. She made the only sensible choice available to her, and ran, anger and fear lending swiftness to her steps.
Cody stood up and wiped the blood off his cheek, where her cut had cracked his lip.
"Come back sweetheart!" he called in mock-apology. "Was it something I said? Don't you love me anymore?"
He grinned maniacally under Raven's spell, and sprinted after Auburn's fleeing form.

Y r S w T

"I see that you are keeping yourself occupied," The voice said as softly as it had appeared in the darkness of the cell.
"So you are here again, Raven." She spoke with venom on her lips as she watched the Lord of Darkness emerge from the shadows.
His appearance seemed to change every time he visited her. The Ancient One had not returned after his first and final visit with her here and she wondered why.
"What do you want?"
"I am here to offer you your freedom."
"Oh? What's the catch?" she said trying her best to sound tired and bored, when in fact, she was more than a little scared.
"You must earn your freedom," he paused to see how she would react, "in one on one combat."
"Combat, huh? You expect me to fight? Why?"
"It would be very good entertainment." He watches her as though she was prey. She looks delicious enough to eat, he thought deviously. "So will you do it or not?"
"Let me get this straight, if I win I get my freedom, but if I lose, what will happen?" she asked, not liking where this was going.
"You will be mine forever. So do you agree or should I leave you here till you die?"
"I…agree."
She didn't like the sound of it, but it was better than the alternative.
"So be it." He said as he laughed darkly, sensing victory at hand.
He took her by the arm and lifted her, chains and all, off the floor. She looked at him in shock when the chains snapped off the wall as though they were made of twigs. They both disappeared in a swirl of the darkest shadows and a crackle of his limitless power.

Y r S w T

He is so much stronger this time around. Can this be the power of their new master? This is incredible, he thought, I remember the last time we fought. He could barely handle Ryo and me but today, he seems a bit more powerful.
Seeing that his opponent was a bit preoccupied, Sekhmet decided that was best time to attack. As he deflected a blow coming from Sage, he jumped at the unsuspecting young man with a sudden attack, catching the boy off guard.
"Cye!" Kento screamed at him. Kento jumped in between the two and blocked the hit with his iron bo. "Hey Cye, snap out of it, buddy!"
"Worry about yourself boy."
Kento turned around, leaving Sehkmet to Cye and Sage to find that his old nemesis was standing behind Ryo who was all tangled up in his web. He noticed Bird came flying in from out of nowhere toward Ryo. It seemed as though every time the hawk flew by, the more threads snapped. Dais didn't notice as he was watching Kento's reaction eagerly.
"So, you finally decided to come and play, huh? Well, I am ready for you Magic Man."
"My, aren't we cocky today? Do you truly believe that you can defeat us?" Dais sneered at him in disgust.
"Let's go Ryo. Together we can take him out."
"Lead on, Kento."
Ryo shook off the last of the webbing, mentally thanking the hawk that freed him. He stood behind Dais, ready to attack at Kento's request.
"Oh this should be fun." Dais laughed as he readied his trusty weapon for the up and coming battle.
Dais' laughter soon turned to fury as the angry hawk swooped down, stealing away his scythes in one fluid movement. She winged away on the air currents, carrying the weapon in her sharp, powerful talons.
"You feathered menace, I should've killed you when I had the chance!"
Kento laughed at the sight of the Warlord of Illusion cursing a helpless animal, though the hawk seemed far from it. "Can't fight so well without your precious webs, can ya Spiderman?"
A blast of dark lighting lit up the sky as the Warlord of Corruption appeared beside Dais, firing his sure kill toward Bird. The blast clipped her bad wing, and she dropped Dais' weapon in a pile of brambles, but remained aloft. He dove into the brush to retrieve it, leaving Cale to tackle Ryo and Kento for the moment.

Sage turned away from Sekhmet and Cye as he saw the blast of his nemesis shoot across the sky. He powered up his own sure kill and fired it on the unsuspecting Warlord.
"Thunderbolt Cut!"
The wave of light threw Cale to the ground, and Sage jumped him in a heart beat. "Stop picking on forest creatures, and take on a real enemy!"
"You Halo, are hardly worth my time. But you will regret challenging me," Cale said coldly, striking a battle stance.

The hawk circled above, watching two battles split quickly into four. She saw the machinations behind it, and let out a cry of resignation. This was what their enemy wanted, and she fed this information to the tiger that fought valiantly below.
She had no more ideas on how to help them, but perhaps someone else could. She opened the secondary link between her and Auburn, and searched it for a trace of the ghostly figure that helped them before. He might be their only hope.

Y r S w T

The lords and demons of all sorts gathered in the dark and dank arena before the main event. This was a battle none of them wished to miss. Lord ShadowRaven had announced that there was to be tournament, of what sort they didn't know.
Lady Kimiko walked out to the center of the arena waiting for her opponent. She knew it was not one of the warlords for they were off doing who knows what. Those sniveling boys could not do anything right, she thought to herself.
A swirl of smoke appeared about fifteen feet in front of her. As the smoke cleared, she saw ShadowRaven holding something that was squirming around in front of him.
"This is your opponent my dear." He shoved the creature out in front of him. Lady Kimiko saw that it is a woman in chains wearing an elaborate kimono. She recognized her immediately.
"You want me to fight her?! The former empress of the Nether Realm? This is too easy!"
Kimiko laughed darkly at the woman that was glaring at her.
"It may not be that easy for she is fighting for her freedom." He turned to the stadium full of people and made his announcement. "Your former empress, Lady Kayura, last existing member of her clan, the clan of the Ancients, is hereby sentenced to battle Lady Kimiko, my second-in-command, to the death." He emphasized the last word to make sure everyone knew what it meant.
The spectators cheered at the announcement. Lady Kayura was sickened by the sound. As she stood up, her chains disappeared and her kimono changed into her old battle armor. The same one that Talpa gave her when she was under his spell.
"Let the combat begin!" the dark lord spoke from his place in the audience.
The scene instantly changed into that of an ancient battlefield as the combatants readied for the battle.

**************
To be continued…

Greetings all! Amazingly enough this is the eleventh chapter to this truthly remarkable story. It contains suspense, drama, action, romance, comedy and bits of what I love to call, dark humor. I truly hope you are enjoy this story! Darster and I will be working on the next few chapters while we can. Don't be surprised if they are up during the summer though! Please send any comments, questions, flames and suggestions this way!
-Satori ^_^